1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to handheld counting devices and more particularly pertains to a new counting apparatus for counting the number of persons in an establishment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of handheld counting devices is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,321 describes a device for counting the number of vehicle entering a parking lot. Another type of handheld counting device is U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,415 having a counter having a plurality of wheels having numbers wherein the wheels are rotated in increments to show the incrementing the numbers as counter is actuated by the user. U.S. Pat. No. Des 371,550 shows a hand held personal scanner. U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,096 has an electromagnetic counter having a digit wheel that is actuated by an armature of an electromagnet to instigate incremental counting. U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,375 has a system for counting components produced by machine tools. U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,806 has a supplemental readout for electronically sensing the incrementing of the numeral wheels and transmitting that information to a remote electronic device.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for an apparatus that has certain improved features that provides for removing numbers from the total to provide an accurate count of the people in the establishment.